Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-06-30
DAILY HERALD.
FIRE HYDRANTS.
Mr.. G. NJ. Nichols Says
We Have Not Enough.
MORE ENGINES NECESSARY
Buildings Should be Constructed
i'm More Substantial
Manner.

f3clnC lnSuTauco ODiOu VI Cau fian-
cisco. is at present engaged in inspect
ing the defenses of Los Angeles against
fire, and while he has not been here long
enough to examine into every little de-
tail, be has discovered some defects
which should be remedied at once. A
representative of the HERALD called
upon him yesterday at his room in the
Rose Block to ascertain his views on the
subject which has been rendered inter.
esting of late by the confagrations
which have been rather heavier than
usual.
Mr.. Nichols said that he had not ex-
amined into the system very minutely
~ yet, but SO far as he had gone he had
been impressed by the lack OF fire hy-
drants. The fire at the brick factory
the other evening had shown how defec-
tive the hydrant system is, for only one
stream could be obtained, and then the
hose had to be laid for 600 feet. In
other parts of the city the same condi.
ton Of affairs existed, and some action
should be taken to see that the hydrants
are in sufficient quantity and rightly
placed. He understood that only one
hydrant was connected with the large
main on Main street, and there was no
reason why others should not be con-
nected. The size of the mains which he
had examined, with but one or two ex.
ceptions, was entirely inadequate for the
purposes of quenching fires. The fire on
Third street, when the Ashley House
was consumed few weeks ago, demon
strated how much too small the mains
are in the heart of the city. While three
streams were obtained, they were too
weak to be of much effect, for
the reason that all these hydrants to
which the engines were attached were
connected with six-inch main.
Where so much valuable property is at
stake there G certainly should be larger
mains. The fire at the Chinese wash
house ON Alameda street, the other
afternoon, was another exhibition of the
inadequacy of the mains. The only
stream put on the fire on this occasion
came from some distance, and the en-
gine could not throw the water much
more than thirty feet. Mr.. Nichols
said that even if water was not OBJ
tanned, vinegar and sauces were in
abundance, and, under the circum.
stances. came 10 very handily. In his
opinion, this subject is one which needs
immediate attention, for at any time
the conditions may be favorable for q
disastrous conhagration, and, in such a
case, the engines will be power
less. SO far, he observed,
Aka hou laz l,,,t
this will not always be the case.
Some day there will be wind,
and then the water supply will be
found to be of no avail. 1t was not
that there was not sufficient water, but
that it was not distributed properly.
The engines, SO far as he had OBJ
served, were excellently managed, but
they were not numerous enough. Some
parts of the city are almost unprotected.
Boyle Heights and East Los Angeles for
instance. Los Angeles covers great
amount of territory, and the small
number Of engines here cannot afford
much protection to those sections which
are building up so rapidly. A few
years ago the insurance maps of Los
Angeles did not cover space of 26x2S
inches, while now the maps fill good.
sized book and are even then incom-
plete. Mr.. Nichols said he was sur.
prised at the wonderful growth
of Los Angeles since he had visited it
before and in taking cursory glance
over the ground he had come to the con.
clusi0n that there are not enough en-
gines. 1t is generally the case that a
new city grows faster than its fire de-
partment, unless especial pains is taken
to keep up. In Los Angeles the people
were too busy with real estate to think
Of protection from fire. They trusted
to luck, and some time the luck would
fail. Santa Cruz trusted to its luck, and
it came very near being entirely de-
stroyed o short time since. Perhaps it
was lucky in that it did escape.
Another thing which Mr.. Nichols
thought should attract more attention
was the nature of the buildings. While
it was generally considered that the new
buildings, being of brick, were pro
lection against large confagra-
tions, there were some which
were mere shams. He had
noticed some in which the front and
back were of brick, while the sides were
of wood This thing should not be per
mitted, and while brick buildings are
some protection, they are none in such
cases. The Chicago fire shows how
even brick will crumble and afford but
little protection.
Mr.. Nichols said that he would re-
main here several weeks and inspect the
city quite thoroughly. When he has
finished his work he will be able to draw
conclusions from his notes which will be
of inestimable value to the city.